Ex-Referees Boss Okays Blatter’s Re-Election Bid

A former member of the Ni
gerian Football Federation (NFA) and former president of Nigerian Referees Association, Dr Sam Sam Jaja, has thrown his weight behind FIFA president, Sepp Blatter to re-contest as president of the world football body next year.
Dr Jaja, who was speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt, last Friday, said the level of performance and improvement in the game of football justifies the re-election of Blatter for sustainability of the gains achieved in the  game.
He noted that the 77 year old Blatter should be encouraged to contest if he desires while citing his predecessor and that of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) president.
On the world cup provisional list released by coach Stephen Keshi, the Rivers State born former sports administrator, urged Nigerians not to distract the coach because he has the technical know-how to know the players that would prosecute the world cup for the country.
He, however, justified the defence of the list before the technical committee of the NFF, since according to him, the coach needs to explain to his employers his programmes and how he hopes to carry it through.
Jaja urged Nigerians to have confidence on coach Keshi, knowing that he won the Nations Cup and qualified Nigeria for the world cup, emphasising that Nigerians are very critical people, where every body becomes football coach.
On why Nigerian Referees are not officiating at tournament level in CAF and FIFA, the former referees president attributed the development to politics, stressing that “if you watch the African Football it is dominated by the francophone countries and Nigeria have not done well too, just like other facets of human life.
He hinted that as NFF president, he attracted CAF to Port Harcourt and lamented the treatment metted out to a FIFA graded referee and number six in Africa continent, Mr. Solomon from Rivers State.
‘I thanked God that the current executive of the Referees Asssociation are doing a lot to improve the situation because referees’ academy are being established in several states of the federation”, he said, adding that in less than 10 years Nigerian referees would be listed to officiate at CAF and FIFA tournament.